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The following was submitted by Sophia Liu:
In response to growing concerns over falling tree hazards and municipal forestry resources, Winchester High School junior Sophia Liu has launched a comprehensive community initiative aimed at safeguarding Winchester’s public tree canopy.
Developed as part of Liu’s Girl Scout Gold Award project, the Winchester Tree Project combines mobile mapping technology, youth volunteer mobilization, and public education to establish a sustainable, data-driven approach to local tree care.
Background & Motivation
The initiative was inspired by a series of alarming events in 2025, including a large tree branch that collapsed onto the Winchester Public Library pedestrian walkway near Lincoln Elementary School just prior to dismissal. Later that summer, another mature tree fell across the main entrance to Stop & Shop near Winchester High School following a storm.
While extreme weather events contribute to such failures, expert consultations with local municipal groups revealed a structural root cause: municipal resources are often constrained to reactive care — removing trees only after structural hazards emerge — rather than preventative health tracking and routine maintenance.
Citizen Science and Civic Action
To bridge this information gap, Liu established Wintrees.org and partnered with the open-source platform AnecData.org.
Supported by Project Advisor Tracy Olson, chair of the Winchester Conservation Commission, alongside guidance from the Winchester Permanent Street Tree Committee (Tree Committee) and Department of Public Works (DPW), the project trains student volunteers to log health indicators, photos, and precise GPS locations for public trees.
Through hands-on mapping sessions and educational outreach at venues like the Winchester Farmers Market, the project aims to catalog 500+ town trees and equip residents with diagnostic tools to spot early signs of distress, such as crown dieback, trunk decay, and root stress.
Tree Preservation Survey
As part of this effort, Sophia has launched the Winchester Public Tree Preservation Survey to evaluate community knowledge, reporting habits, and engagement with municipal conservation resources.
● Purpose: To gather baseline data on how Winchester residents assess public tree health, navigate town reporting pathways (such as the DPW or Tree Committee), and interact with citizen-science tools.
● Format: A brief, 11-question survey open to all Winchester residents and high school students.
● Longitudinal Impact: A follow-up survey will be conducted in 12 months to measure population-level shifts toward preventative tree stewardship and civic participation.
Community members are encouraged to share their feedback by completing the survey online.
